iTunes Connect

Apple on Tuesday announced that its annual holiday shutdown of iTunes Connect will be taking place between December 23 and December 27, 2016. iTunes Connect is a service developers and iTunes partners use to submit their apps and other content to Apple’s content stores. In other words, no new apps or app updates shall surface on the App Store and Mac App Store between December 23-27.

A next-generation Apple TV hardware with Siri voice control, a revamped remote and a dedicated App Store is expected to launch alongside new iPhones and iPads at the September 9 media event at San Francisco’s gigantic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

But don’t expect a rumored subscription television service to go live anytime soon.

A report Friday by Jessica Lessin of The Information contends that content makers are not down with a monthly subscription fee Apple reportedly wants to charge consumers for streaming live television and premium channels to their devices.

Apple began sending out emails to registered developers on Wednesday, announcing that App Analytics Beta is now available to all devs, no request needed. The company debuted the analytics platform, which will give developers a detailed look at their app statistics, earlier this month in a limited request-only beta test.

The feature is free to those with a $99/year iOS Developer Program membership, and offers up a wide range of useful data for app-makers. With it, developers can view information like active app users, length of sessions, total number of sessions, and see which websites or promotions are driving the most traffic to their apps.

Apple’s acquisition of TestFlight is about to make a big splash when it comes to the general public gaining greater access to developer betas. A short while ago, developers began receiving emails from iTunes Connect alerting them of the wider availability of beta tester invites.

Developers will be able to invite up to 1000 testers to beta test their iOS apps, and it’s all done through a simple email invitation initiated through the iTunes Connect website. Once sent, recipients of the email can accept the invitation and can install the beta app on their iOS devices within the TestFlight app. It seems like a win-win situation for everyone involved. Developers get a super-simple way to manage and send out beta invites, and beta testers potentially receive broader access to the apps that interest them most.

Apple has this afternoon pushed out an update for its iTunes Connect app for iOS. The app offers registered iTunes developers a handful of management tools, including the ability to access sales data for their apps and e-books, for their iPhones and iPads.

Today’s update brings the app to version 3.0.1, and while Apple suggests that it’s a minor one, it adds support for some significant new features. The app now utilizes iOS 8 sign-in with Touch ID, and it supports the larger displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Continuing with its wave of updates today, Apple has posted a new build of iTunes Connect for iOS. The update brings the app to version 3.0, and includes a long-awaited UI redesign in-line with the new look of iOS 7.

For those unfamiliar with iTunes Connect, it’s what allows developers to access sales data for their apps and e-books. And with today’s update, artists can now use the app to access data for moves and other media as well…

Apple has posted an update for its iTunes Connect portal this evening. Developers use this portal to track and manager their App Store apps, and tonight’s update has brought about a new Sales and Trends sections that allows them to better parse sales data.

The move should appease developers, who have long-complained that the iTunes Connect portal lacked useful reporting tools. In fact, many developers have forgone using iTunes Connect entirely for app figures, opting for other analytics services like App Annie…

Apple in an email communication sent to its registered developers confirmed that it will be shutting down the iTunes Connect service for the holidays, between December 21-28. During that period, developers will not be able to use the iTunes Connect portal to upload new app submissions, make price changes or update apps. As a result, the state of the App Store will remain frozen for the holidays so customers should not expect new apps or app updates…